Now will Pepe finally come good for Arsenal?

Is the time now for Pepe?

After his sending off at Leeds on the weekend meaning he will miss the next few games in the Premier League. There really only was one striker that would definitely be getting his place against Molde on Thursday night and for once he didn’t disappoint!

Nicolas Pepe has come under a lot of criticism since he joined us, I have been one of those that have thrown the criticism his way many times, but last night he had a solid performance to say the least. If only he was more consistent then it could be said that we are finally seeing the worth of the price tag!

Speaking to the Arsenal website, Mikel Arteta was also delighted with the way Pepe has bounced back so far but he expects him to be more consistent than what he has been so far, stating: “I am really pleased. After the disappointment of something negative, you want to see a reaction and I could see from the first minute with his body language that he was ready to act. I think he had a great performance, he scored one goal and could have scored another one or two. He created some good moments in the game and worked really hard for the team, so I really like it, I am pleased with that. We all know what his level, and all the time the question is how often he can get to that level and how he contributes to other aspects of the game. Today is the example of the level he needs to hit, and he needs to keep doing it because he is capable of it and you can see that every time he gets in those positions in the final third, he is a real threat and a very difficult player to control because he can go with his feet, he can come inside, he can shoot, he can create crosses and he can go in behind you as well. That is what we can expect from him.”

He scored a lovely opening goal that we know he is capable of and even threatened numerous times during a lively display as we ran out 3-0 winners. The only worry is that he very rarely scores more than one goal per game.

But if he keeps this type of performance up in all competitions then I am sure he will go from zero to hero very quickly! Gooners?

Shenel Osman

10 Comments

  1. He is good as our team is, depends how and where you play him.

    He must be closer to the box not as wide always, that’s how he was killing France 2 years…

  2. im in france and of course watch him and impressed as everyone, he is impossible to play if closer to or driving towards box, not wide all game long.

    He was able to score and assist that way.

    We been playing him as a oldtime winger until Molde and it is now Pepe doing Pepe…

  3. Pepe is a magnificent player. And he is only lacking of consistency but we must take note whether he is in his preferred position or not. if he needs to adapt to his new position, we need to give him time. We can’t sell him right now because he is not the main cause of our team’s woe.

    1. Agreed that every player will need to play consistently to find his feet and Pepe is not getting that. He needs the support of the players, manager and the fans.

  4. I think the problem with Pepe is he seems too obsessed to dribble past his markers. It may work in European competition but here his tendency to spend too much time on the ball would only result in slowing the attack and allowing opponents to regroup, or giving away possessions cheaply. He should add variation to his game, like passing the ball or making diagonal runs. When his markers get careless he could dribble past them with ease given his quality.

  5. Arsenal players need to shuffle more, that way more options are available,

    Pepe needs to make more movements close to the box than been stationery’s at the wings.

  6. im in france and of course watch him and impressed as everyone, he is impossible to play if closer to or driving towards box, not wide all game long.

    He was able to become king of score and assist that way.

    We been playing him as a oldtime winger until Molde and it is now Pepe doing Pepe…

      1. Fell for what? After his recent display his should be the first name on the sheet today. Doesn’t need a genius to figure that out.

        Welcome back Shenel.

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